2021-08-06
The Greens have slammed the Government’s response to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Report, which reveals temperatures are set to hit the critical 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold by the early 2030s, a decade earlier than anticipated.
Shooting past 1.5 degrees will mean that we will lose the Great Barrier Reef, have widespread and sustained drought, extreme weather events, and catastrophic bushfires will become the norm.
The report, leaked to the media three days before its official release and on the day Scott Morrison and Joe Biden are set to address the Pacific Islands Forum, is accompanied by feeble promises that the government will continue to haemorrhage public money on projects that have failed, like carbon capture and “blue” hydrogen.
Not only is this a waste of public funds, it simply won’t work. The Government is committed to policies which virtually guarantee an increase of 1.5 degrees in a decade, and risks blowing out to an uninhabitable 4 degrees in the lifetime of our kids.
Quotes attributable to Greens Leader Adam Bandt:
“What this report shows is that 2050 is too late. To avoid climate collapse we must act this decade and lift our 2030 targets, but neither Liberal nor Labor are willing to do what the world is asking.
“According to this modelling, we’re on track for climate collapse, but the Coalition doesn’t care and Labor is silent.
“The only answer to the climate crisis is to stop staring into the sunsetting economies of coal and gas.
“To leak this report and offer feeble and unscientific solutions on the same day he faces the Pacific Island Forum demonstrates the absolute contempt Scott Morrison has for the people who will pay the price for his inaction.
“Scott Morrison’s words and actions show contempt for Pacific Island peoples.”
The Greens’ plan for Climate Action Now:
- Net zero emissions by 2035 and 75% cuts by 2030, consistent with the science and the independent Climate Targets Panel.
- Lead the world on climate action by phasing out coal stations and exports by 2030 and legislating against new coal mines and gas fields.
- Achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030, funding a massive investment in infrastructure that will transform our energy system over the next decade.
- Phase in 100% electric light vehicle sales by 2030, with subsidies to make them affordable for all
- Reduce bills by $200 a year by creating a publicly owned energy provider and subsidising investment in solar power and batteries.
- Build a multi-billion dollar clean energy export industry to replace coal exports.
- Invest in local coal and gas communities so they can attract the jobs and new industries they want, retain, upskill and ensure these local communities can continue to thrive.